Finding Home
by RacheKnowsNoEnd
Summary: This is a story about a girl being found in a village barely ever on maps because it is so unimportant - the perfect place to hide and lay low. She was reborn here, this is her second life, but she barely remembers anything about this world - especially now that it has been so long. Did I mention she used to be a he? and that he, who is now she, is six years old again? Oh Kami...
1. Chapter One: Lost and Found

**A/N: I'm sorry that I'm rewriting this story… I lost my inspiration, decided I was doing a crappy job, and it needed to be re-done. I hope you all enjoy this version just as well and… voila! Here we go!**

Chapter One: Lost and Found

"THIEF! COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

My chest heaved up and down as I struggled to get the proper amount of air into my lungs while running. Bare feet slapped against the dirt road in a frantic pace, drawing the attention of those walking by casually attending to whatever days business they had - as always, the eyes were curious at first but quickly became disinterested upon seeing the cause of the racket which had originally garnered their attention. After all, another homeless street urchin was not an uncommon sight; One who was running as though their life depended on it while clutching a piece of bread to their chest was even more common.

It was not that people were inherently mean spirited or uncaring, they were just desynthesized to the sight. Everyone struggled, especially among the working class, and no one had anything to spare. While no one will step in to feed a starving child like myself, at the same time they would not stop me either - they were just glad it was not themselves who had been stolen from.

A sharp feeling pierced through my lungs as they strained to keep up with this level of exertion and I glanced back to check if the man was still following. I took in his angry scowl and the determined set of his jaw before once again looking forward and trying to think about how I was going to shake him while internally I berated myself for picking the wrong target. Normally I was good at choosing the people who would give up quickly rather than chase a street rat through the village but my stomach had been cramping from hunger and the smell of the bread had made rational thought momentarily leave.

"Where can a girl find a decent drink around this dump?" I heard a blonde woman ask her dark haired companion. I barely heard the remark but at the same time I twisted my head around to see how close the man was now, causing me to bump into two women. The blonde stayed upright but the dark haired girl tripped, dumping a suitcase in front of me which had me in danger of tripping.

"Hey brat! Watch where-" I heard the woman begin to berate me but I could not stop to apologize. Without breaking stride I wheezed a quiet sorry and launched myself forward, the precious piece of bread tucked as close to my body as possible so it would not get dirty, and placed my hand on the suitcase as I flipped over it. I landed strangely on my ankle, causing me to curse and it to begin throbbing, but I quickly righted my balance and kept charging ahead.

My breath was even shorter now as I ran because of the most likely twisted ankle I now had. I needed to end the chase fast or he was going to catch me. If that happened, I would be lucky to have my hand let alone food. I scanned the road and would have sighed in relief if I had enough spare oxygen to do so - up ahead was an alley I knew had a loose board at the dead end which led to another street. The opening was too small for an adult but my six year old body could pass through it just fine and I could disappear before the man could figure out how to get to the other side. I could hear his shoes hitting the ground behind me and it seemed as though there was another person running behind him as well but I could be mistaken. My heart was pounding so ferociously and with the blood pumping through me, I could have been imagining things.

I let a small smile cross my features as I made it to the alley and my foot landed in a puddle that I paid no mind to as I focused on the wooden fence at the end of the alley. The man I had stolen the bread from stopped at the entrance to the alley, I could tell by the breathing and the sudden lack of noise from shoes hitting road. I bolted to the fourth board over and pulled on it, ready to slip through and eat my first bite of food in two days.

My heart stopped when the board wouldn't budge. The pounding in my ears became even louder and I grunted, crying out in frustration when the board wouldn't move. I turned around instantly with my back to the gate and watched the man approaching like a crazed animal. His breathing was only a little irregular while mine sounded loud in the quiet, my gasping breathes the only sound filling the alleyway until he began to chuckle darkly as he approached me.

"Nowhere to run or hide after all, huh, little bitch?" He asked with a sadistic twist to his pointy features.

"Please…" I said with one hand up placatingly and the other still clutching the bread in my hand.

"Too late for begging now, girly. Today is the last day you'll steal anything." He said as he flicked a knife out so quickly I barely caught the movement. He paused in his approach for a moment, as though considering his words, before he ominously added to his previous statement. "If you even survive. I hear if the blood loss doesn't kill you street trash when you get a hand cut off then the infection will. I just hope you die in some ditch somewhere so you don't contaminate the streets with your fucking filth."

"Please." I begged desperately, my eyes watering and frantically scanning the alley for anyway out. "It was just a piece of bread and I was so hungry, you can have it. Please."

"You think I want that back now that you've touched it?" The man scoffed with a cruel, mocking laugh added on the end. "That's just the excuse to cut, little bitch."

I drew in a sharp breath at his words and while I felt terrified, I began to feel a strange sort of clarity as well. I needed to do something or I could die - there was no one here to help me and this man had no mercy. My eyes locked onto the puddle I first stepped in when I got into the alley and an idea bloomed in my head, one which I was already acting on even as I apologized to my Mom for breaking one of her rules. I ran at him, ignoring the screaming and burning protest from the injured ankle, and I concentrated as hard as I could on the puddle the man was standing over.

"What the hell are you-" The man began but he quit talking, bringing up the knife to slash at me as I ran full tilt towards him. Just as I got within arms reach I slid on my leg like a baseball player from my old life and froze the puddle, turning it into ice. I let out a sharp grunt as the knife sliced my shoulder when he brought it down after realizing my change of height. My shoulder burned and I felt an all too familiar volcano of anger boil inside of me, threatening to erupt. I reached up to my shoulder with the hand not still holding the bread, feeling the cut, and then feeling the anger explode like a star going supernova at the sight of my blood.

"You're one of those freaks!" The man exclaimed in disgust instantly, looking from what was now a sheet of ice back to my face - something I couldn't be around to deal with. Mom, or Kaa-chan as I called her in this life, and Tou-chan had given their lives to get me out of Kirigakure and I had to honor them by staying alive. The man was now looking certifiably deranged and I knew he must have harsh feeling against ninja.

"Please stop, I-I don't want to hurt you." I said while trying to sound as confident as I could but it only amused the man.

"Are you going to cry me to death, baby? Mom and Dad are dead aren't they?" He sneered, making me clench my hands into tight fists.

"Shut up." I seethed through clenched jaw, the moisture at my eyes now because of aggravation.

"Or what?" He asked mockingly, taking a step towards me. "You can't even feed yourself! You aren't a ninja, you're some filth from a garbage clan that's been killed off. I just get to finish the job."

The man's eyes widened at something behind me but I wasn't looking - that was the last straw. The man screamed as the ice underneath his feet changed into spikes as I lost control and I felt the chakra drain out of me. I felt the chakra pouring out of my small body and my legs shook until I fell to my knees, then face forward onto the ground. I heard a feminine voice call out but it was distant, not important enough to listen too. I wonder if this was how long I was actually going to last in my new life... So short of a time. After dying and being reborn, all I got out of it was six years? Such a waste.

* * *

"Kid...Brat!" A voice was yelling

"La…. Please, I just tended to her injuries!" A second voice spoke up, making me groan in protest at the loud noises the two were making.

"G'me Five m're minutes." I mumbled, rolling away on the soft whatever I was sleeping on to get as far away from the noise as possible. It had been months since I had been this comfortable and even though it was probably a dream, I wanted to hang on to it for as long as possible.

"I'm not your Mother, brat! Now GET UP!" A husky but distinctly feminine voice yelled, the annoyance practically dripping from her voice.

My eyes shot open and I instinctively rolled forward, seeing the door opposite the bed. Coming out of the roll with my feet on the mattress, I coiled my muscles and launched myself towards the wooden framed exit - My feet made it off the mattress before I was yanked out of mid-air and thrown back on the bed as easily as if I was a fly.

My legs were brought up to protect my chest as I warily eyed the two people keeping me in what looked like a room in an inn. One of them had an irritated expression and a presence that seemed to fill the room - she had a huge bust and blonde hair, eyes that were a golden color, and was wearing a green haori. Her companion had a heart shaped face, a kind smile, and dark hair that matched her dark eyes.

"Hello there. My name is Shizune and this is Lady Tsunade." The dark haired girl introduced herself and the other woman in a soft, polite tone while never breaking eye contact with me.

"Hi." I replied warily, still eyeing them. They were kunoichi. I could tell from the way they were carrying themselves, it was the same way my Mom used to carry herself as well.

"It's polite to tell us your name too brat." 'Lady' Tsunade all but growled "And tell us what the hell you were thinking back there."

"I didn't do anything!" I retorted automatically, my tone defensive. "I don't know what that guy was talkin' about! I didn't steal nothin' from nobody!"

Lady Tsunade snorted and raised her eyebrow at me incredulously. "Really? Yeah, we believe that. I don't care if you stole the whole damn shop - We want your name and why you just used all your chakra like a moron."

"I-" I froze, eyes wide. They obviously saw what I did but Mom told me to never tell anyone or show anyone. It could be a death sentence. "I don't know what your talking about."

"The ice jutsu?" Shizune asked imploringly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's alright to tell us, we're friends."

"Street rats don't have friends." I sneered back unsurely, eyes flickering between the two women.

"You don't have any parents?" Lady Tsunade asked, eyes softening a little.

"So what if I don't?" I shot back rudely, hating the pitying look I saw. "I do just fine by myself."

"What's your name, kid?" Lady Tsunade asked again, joining the younger woman Shizune on the bed. I thought about it and decided there was no harm in telling them my name, as long as I avoided using Mom's last name. If anyone knew about Mom's last name… they might hear about it and come after me like they did before.

"Rei Uzumaki." I answered finally and my eyes looked up when my declaration was met with silence. The two women were looking at me with wide eyes and then one another, seeming to communicate without speaking.

"Could it be, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked after a moment

"Hm." Lady Tsunade hummed, looking at me with her piercing eyes for a moment. She started with my dark, red hair that was a shade darker than normal from how dirty it was. Lady Tsunade's eyes stopped, like everyone always does, on the scar that began at my cheekbone and ran diaganolly to my chin - a reminder of when my Mother gave her life for my own. She looked over my rather pale skin, which was streaked with mud, and the dark eyes before she finally nodded slowly. "She has the hair."

"I'm right here, you know." I told them, annoyed they were talking like I wasn't in the room with them.

"Where did you learn to do that trick with the ice, Rei-chan?" Shizune asked with an encouraging smile.

"I don't know." I lied, looking at them nervously. They were asking a lot of questions, now that I think about it. What if they wanted to sell me to those men? Or do something even worse? I needed to get out of here.

"Well you can't go around using all of your chakra like that. You're young, you don't have a lot, and if we weren't there you would have died." Lady Tsunade said plainly, gaining a reproachful glance from the other woman sitting down.

"I won't do it again." I promised, scooting to the edge of the bed and standing up. "I really have to go now."

I began walking towards the door again but was quickly jerked back once again by Lady Tsunade, my butt landing on the bed. "Oh no you don't, kid."

"My big brothers are going to be looking for me." I lied, crossing my arms. "They are huge, like seven feet tall, and they are ninja and they won't be happy that someone wouldn't let me go back. They'd track me all over the world."

"I'm sure." Tsunade said drily, shaking her head. She stood up and gestured to Shizune to follow her, where they went out of the room and left me sitting there. My stomach grumbled and I put my hand to it, frowning when I realized I never got the chance to eat the bread I had borrowed from that man. My eyes scanned the room and didn't see any food, but there was a bag lying near the bed. I ignored the black bag laying there, even though I was tempted to look through it, and instead scanned the rest of the room for any food.

' _Grrr'_

I looked down at my stomach as it made the odd noise and then looked at the door. Hurriedly, I slipped off the bed and was on my knees in front of the bag in seconds. Quietly, I unzipped it and dragged the zipper around slowly to avoid making more noise than needed. I sighed soundlessly when it was finally open, only seeing clothes. I lifted the clothes up and stifled a gasp at the bag of ryo's underneath - it was enough to eat for two years. My head shot up to the door, getting a strangle feeling, but nothing happened. I stamped down the guilt and reached into the money pouch, making sure to stay as quiet as possible.

There was just as much as I thought there would be. I took one thousand ryo and comforted myself with the knowledge that they had more than a million leftover. I put the clothes back on top of the money pouch and zipped up the bag. I swiftly pushed the bag back to it's original spot and jumped on the bed after securing the stolen money in the waistband of my pants. I didn't have shoes or pockets, so it would have to do for now. The next step was to find a way to escape while they were gone - I wasn't stupid enough to think I could get away from two fully grown kunoichis. I walked to the window and peered outside, internally cursing at how far the drain was. It was too far for me to be able to shimmy down. Maybe I could tie blankets together as a rope? The only problem is the Inn only had one blanket in the room.

The door opened and my head whipped around to watch as Lady Tsunade stepped through first, followed by Shizune. Her eyes glanced at the bag I had just rifled through and it felt like both lead was inside my stomach and my heart was frozen while she eyed the piece of luggage. I resisted breathing out a sigh of relief when she said nothing and focused her attention on me instead of the bag.

"Alright brat. We want to take you with us somewhere." Lady Tsunade declared, hands on her hips with an expression that asked me to defy her. I was never one to disappoint.

"You're crazy, lady!" I shouted, crossing my arms defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere with you two. Let me go."

"I'll buy breakfast." Shizune suggested, making my stomach rumble just at the thought. I flushed and Tsunade smirked at me, making my face heat up from embarrassment and anger.

"You can't bribe me." I sneered

"What if I told you I know another Uzumaki?"

I was silent at Tsunade's statement, shocked into speechlessness because I was told that our entire family was… dead. On both sides. Hunted down for what we are, who we are, and the abilities we showed. I felt a small kernel of hope inside myself, the one that showed when I heard about someone who could make ice or when I saw red hair in a crowd of people. Bitterly, I crushed it down because I knew this was probably just a ploy to get me to go wherever they wanted me too. Probably to sell me to 'them'. I was not going to fall for it.

"Fuck off, lady. Leave me alone." I said angrily

"What!" Lady Tsunade shouted "Watch your mouth!"

"All my family is dead! They all died in Uzu-" I stopped myself, snorting and turning away from them.

"Uzushiogakure?" Lady Tsunade asked, having adopted a softer tone when pronouncing the name of the village.

"Yeah." I said, trying to sound indifferent but the words came out sad instead.

"You're right." Lady Tsunade said and I looked down at the mattress of the bed, trying to ignore the jab of pain when the tiny kernel died again. I was so tired of being alone in this weird new dangerous world. "My Grandmother was Mito Uzumaki."

My head lifted, surprised, and I could only stare as she continued to talk. "The village I grew up in, we were allied with Uzushio - very closely allied with them. She married the Hokage of the village and lived there until she died. Before she did, there was another little girl who came there with the same last name - another Uzumaki. She has hair a lot like yours, actually."

"Really?" I asked, not able to hide the slight excitement in my voice.

"Oh yes. Kushina Uzumaki." Lady Tsunade smiled indulgently, a wicked smirk coming across her face as she kept speaking. "She's almost as annoying as you are too - must be in the genes."

"Shut up lady!" I shouted, lifting my fist up.

"Oh quiet down, brat, I was only joking." Lady Tsunade said dismissively before getting serious. "Look, I know she wouldn't mind meeting another family member. She lost everyone in the destruction of Uzushiogakure. Isn't it worth just coming to check out?"

"It's a lovely place, Rei-chan." Shizune added, smiling benevolently.

I thought about it. I didn't have much here and all the people in the town were beginning to recognize me on sight for being a thief - I was easy to spot with my red hair. I was going to have to move on soon anyway and it was never safe traveling alone in this world, let alone as a six year old. I had only moved once in the year since my Mother died and I was lucky enough to hide in a grain wagon as it traveled to this town. I didn't have any friends to speak of aside from the other homeless kids that sometimes let me stay with them in a dumpster they cleaned out for bad weather. I wouldn't be missed.

"Where would we go?" I asked hesitantly

"Konoha." Tsunade responded, the name sounding familiar to me for some reason. With my curiosity, hunger, and that stupid kernel of hope - I put aside my suspicious nature and decided to go for it.

"Okay, I'll come with you." I decided, nodding my head.

"Good. You won't regret it, Rei-chan." Shizune said comfortingly

"You think?" I asked, tilting my head to the side and making my bangs fall in my eyes.

"I don't think so kid. Just make sure you tell the seven foot tall brothers where you are going." Lady Tsunade said the last part with sarcasm dripping from the words.

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, flushing.

"And give me back my money, brat. I'll buy you some damn food and shoes, you don't need to steal." Tsunade commanded, making me gape at her. The blonde kunoichi just smirked and shook her head. "Don't go through a shinobi's stuff, kid. You've got a long way before you can get away with going through MY stuff."

I huffed and handed the money I had stashed in my waistband. Shizune gestured for me to follow her, announcing we were going to get food, and I happily hopped up from the bed in order to accompany her. My mouth was watering and I reminded myself not to eat or drink too much unless I wanted to throw it all up later - I had learned that lesson the hard way when I found money on the street and ate too much. We were walking out of the room when Lady Tsunade stopped me with her voice.

"Oh, give me the damn earrings too." My eyes widened and I turned slowly, taking in the beautiful woman who had not moved an inch from her spot to check her bag and see if anything was missing. Slowly and hesitantly, I unwrapped the bandage on my right arm until it showed the emerald earrings I had stuffed inside, and threw them onto the bed. I quickly retreated, shutting the door and muffling the cackling laughter pouring out of Tsunade.

That woman was scary.

* * *

 **A/N: Obviously this is going in an entirely different direction - I hope no one is mad. I just lost the inspiration for the other plot and I know this will be better! Thanks for reading! I'm not sure what about the last story bothered me so much but I have this one much better planned out whereas the other was just winging it. Also, I'm going to be including a playlist in each chapter as well as the scenes it goes to.. Let me know if you guys like that.**

* * *

 **Playlist = Song - Artist - Scene**

 **1\. Black Betty - Ram Jam - Running from the man chasing Rei.**

 **2.** **Young Blood - Noah Kahn - Waking up in the room.**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoy and feel kind enough to review! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter Two: The Village Hidden

Chapter Two: The Village Hidden in the Leaves

"Shizune?"

"Yes, Rei-chan?" Shizune answered, looking up from her map and looking at me curiously. I have been traveling with the two Kunoichi for four days now and I had come to respect them both relatively well - my favorite thing about Shizune by far, however, was that she treated everyone seriously and made sure you were aware that she was paying attention to you when you spoke. Considering I might as well have been invisible, unless I was stealing apparently, to all of the people I've encountered the last year, it was a refreshing change.

"Why is Lady Tsunade getting more surly and irritable the closer we come to arriving?" I asked, gesturing towards the woman I was speaking about who was wobbling a little from the sake she drank and cursing the sun at the same time.

"Lady Tsunade left Konoha for a reason and she is not eager to return." Shizune explained carefully, not really revealing anything.

"Oh, well where will we go after Konoha?" I asked, causing Shizune to get an surprised and uncomfortable look on her face.

"Well… you see, Rei…" Shizune fumbled uncharacteristically, making a twinge of worry curdle in my gut.

"We, as in Shizune and I, will go gamble and get drunk off my ass." Lady Tsunade said harshly, her words partially slurred. "You are going to stay in that god forsaken village."

"WHAT? No way in hell, lady!" I objected, walking forward at a faster pace so that I was beside the blonde woman. "You aren't just going to dump me in a village YOU don't even like - and you like anything with sake and slot machines!"

"I can and I will." Tsunade replied with a firm nod but the effect was lost when she had to stop for a moment because the 'world was spinning'.

"I won't stay." I sneered "There's nothing your drunk ass can do about it. First chance I get, I'm running."

"Rei-chan! Show Lady Tsunade respect, she-" Shizune scolded

"She is a drunk old lady who wants to dump me in some shit village so she can feel better about herself. Most likely so there's one memory she can cling too, one 'good deed', among all the bad ones." I growled, attempting to hurt her with words the same way I felt a little hurt. I thought she was going to let me join them in traveling, like Shizune. "Is that why you keep your brain floating in alcohol? Kill too many kids? Huh?"

Lady Tsunade didn't respond, just watched me through bleary eyes with an indecipherable expression I couldn't place. I could tell she was processing my words as I spoke them because there was a delayed reaction.

 _WHUMP_

My body literally lifted off the ground and flew into a tree, my back hitting the wood and causing me to cry out in pain. I blinked to get rid of the dark spots and distantly heard Shizune calling my name and screaming at Tsunade at the same time. When my vision finally cleared, Shizune was making me lean forward so she could run a diagnostic jutsu but my eyes were focused on Tsunade.

She had used two fingers. Two fingers had made me fly through the air, land on my ass, and almost knocked me out - it was both terrifying and amazing. What the hell was this world? I 'remembered' my old life at the age of two, so I've had four years to consciously adjust and two to subconsciously do so. Being able to do things like that, inflict so much damage without breaking a sweat, it was still shocking and terrifying. How was I ever going to survive if there were people like that, who could crush me like a bug? All I could do was run for a long time and make ice.

Tsunade looked stunned and guilty at having flicked me as hard as she had into a tree. She put away her sake bottle after that and drank water, watching Shizune's every move as the dark-haired kunoichi healed me. Tsunade gave a mumbled apology that I ignored and I just kept my head down the rest of the day, thinking about different training exercises I could try to do in order to get stronger with my ice stuff - ninjutsu, the my two (apparently temporary) traveling companions told me.

Even though we had been together only five days now, we had already settled into a habit for breaking camp. I would gather firewood while Shizune set up the tents and all of the supplied. The first night, Shizune lit the fire but I had her teach me so that now I could do it as well. It was the only time today I smiled for today because I loved being able to do it.

"Why did you get Shizune to teach you how to make fire? Why not have her do it?" Tsunade asked, the first words she spoke to me since her half-assed apology. I was tempted to ignore her but I wanted something from her tomorrow, so I needed to be on her good side.

"I wanted to learn in case we get split up or for when I'm no longer traveling with you two. This way I have a fire." I explained, pausing to blow on the fire so the embers would catch flame. "Future travel companions may know how to do so but I may not always travel with another person. Not to mention, what if everyone I WAS traveling with didn't know how to make a fire because they all relied on someone else to do it for them."

Tsunade hummed to herself, a noncommittal sound that I did not even bother acknowledge it. I cooked us basic noodles for dinner, one of the only meals I could make on the road, and pretty soon I was snuggled into my sleeping bag. I was not necessarily in terrible shape, considering that whenever I stole I'd usually end up running and I have A LOT of stamina. Still, sleep was amazing and my eyes were beginning to flicker shot when my name caught my attention and also chased away the exhaustion for a moment.

"What were you thinking, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune whispered "Using chakra enhanced strength on a six year old girl?"

"I know, Shizune… I don't know why I did that. It was the things she was saying, it was getting to me and with us going to Konoha…" Tsunade muttered, the guilt obviously present in her voice. "I'm dreading going back there and seeing what people have to say. I'm also worried they won't take her and train her."

"What will you do if they won't?" Shizune asked quietly

"I don't know." Tsunade confessed in low tones. "I don't see how they couldn't. She's an Uzumaki, she's smart, and she has a Kekkei Genkai - Ice release is rare and there will be clans tripping over one another trying to get it in their family."

"Stop." Shizune said lowly with a hint of disgust present in her voice. "You're talking like her as if she's cattle - breeding her, training her. That's a little girl with no family."

"I know!" Tsunade exclaimed slightly loud, making them both freeze and I heard clothe shift. My back was turned to them but I was assuming it was the sound of their clothes rustling as they looked to see if the noise woke me up. " Hiruzen-sensei won't let anything bad happen to her and won't promise her to a clan. It will be her choice if she wants to marry, train, all of that - as soon as they know she isn't a spy."

"A spy?" Shizune gasped and my body tensed at the ominous words. Were they going to interrogate me? How will they know I'm not a spy?

"Yes, ever since the Second Shinobi War - well, things still haven't quieted down that much. Everyone is distrustful and everyone is trying to spy so next time they'll have the upperhand." Tsunade explained

"Do you think she's a spy?" Shizune asked hesitatingly, obviously not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"No, I think she's an orphan with way too much chakra and a special ability that will get her noticed." Tsunade replied, without any hesitation. I felt my lips twitch because Tsunade secretly believed in. "I'm pretty sure that was why she didn't want to admit to the ice release. Still hasn't actually - I think it's what got one or both of her parents killed."

"Poor Rei-chan." Shizune uttered softly, making me want to scoff. There were thousands who had it far worse than I did. At least I was strong enough to roll with the punches. I decided to stop eavesdropping at that point and just go to bed, so I snuffled loudly before rolling over, effectively ending the conversation.

The next conversation was about medical jutsu and the complicated topic quickly lulled me to sleep since I could follow almost nothing she was talking. If Shizune was right, and I had no reason to doubt her, then we would arrive in Konoha tomorrow night one hour after dark. Not exactly the proper time for an auspicious arrival but they wanted to push on. It did give me all day to pester Tsunade into teaching me chakra.

* * *

I was attempting to not explode in anger but I could feel myself losing the fight the longer Tsunade laughed. Everything was fine when I woke up this morning, I even made sure to spike Tsunade's morning tea with a bit of sake just the way she likes it. We ate breakfast and I didn't say a word for the first hour of us walking. All the things I had learned Tsunade appreciates, I did this morning in an effort to convince her to teach me something. So, an hour and a half into our trip, I asked her to teach me to walk on water and she has been laughing for two minutes straight ever since.

"Sorry, it's just funny." Tsunade apologize without seeming to mean it, wiping the tears from her eyes as her cackling turned into chuckles.

"I don't see how. Shizune can do it, I saw her two days ago." I said with an annoyed look, gesturing to the dark haired kunoichi.

"Look, I really am sorry. I'll explain." Tsunade said, becoming serious in an effort to appease me. "Water walking is chakra control - you have a long way to go before you're ready for that. I'll teach you a pretty easy exercise first, then we'll see how you do. Take this"

I took the leaf Tsunade had picked up from the ground from her hand with a skeptical look, eyeing the regular green shape and the blonde shinobi in front of me with suspicion. "Now what?"

"You know what it feels like when you gather your chakra to use it?" Tsunade asked, making me think about the most recent time - turning the puddle to ice. It always feels like there is this surge of warmth that shoots through me. It reminds me of a dam breaking and all the water flooding out at once, but unless it's super hard, the dam closes right back up. I told her my analogy and she seemed to consider it.

"So I want you to gather it, just a little, and then try and hold it. Eventually you should be able to feel how it flows all through your body - starting with the point your gathering and flowing all around. Then, stick the leaf to your forehead by making that the focal point of your chakra. Direct all of your chakra to the spot you want the lead to stick to." Tsunade explained, then walked forward to speak with Shizune about possibly stopping at some tea house on the way to Konoha.

It took me an hour to be able to feel my chakra and understand what she meant. Now that I was aware, it seems insane that I had ever not realized it was there - under my skin, flowing through every part of my body. It took finally turning the leaf into ice to be able to feel the surge of chakra and then I 'followed' it as it settled once again in my body in it's natural way. Once I figured out how to channel it, it was child's play to be able to stick the leaf to my forehead and keep it there for five minutes.

We took a quick break for lunch and I convinced Tsunade to show me another exercise - tree walking. I was only able to attempt it twice before we were packing up to continue towards Konoha but I had gotten three steps up the tree, which I felt was nothing to scoff at for my first time and being six years old.

All too soon, the sun began to set and I could see the walls of Konoha, painted by the sun to look like fire, looming ahead of us. When Tsunade and Shizune said village, I imagined Konoha to be only a little bigger than the village we had come from, Kitashiobara, I was very, very wrong in my assumption. The walls were huge structures, safely tucking away the village, and the gates we were approaching had two guards on duty dressed in what I assume is a standard uniform.

"Tsunade-hime?!" One of the guards called out incredulously, his jaw hanging wide open in disbelief and making me look at Tsunade out of the corner of my eye. Princess? Was that alcoholic actually royalty?

"I need to speak with the Hokage." Tsunade declared, her spine perfectly straight and suddenly exuding an air of confidence. She always has a commanding presence, the kind that just draws your attention when that person walks in a room, but this was the disposition of someone who gave orders and knew they would be obeyed. Needless to say, I was viewing her in an entirely new light.

"Yes, Tsunade-hime. Who are your comrades?" One of the guards asked, looking at Shizune and I with interest.

"Shizune is originally from Konoha and Rei is this young lady but anything else about her is confidential until I speak with the Hokage." Tsunade said firmly, placing her hand on my shoulder I was tempted to roll my shoulder to get her hand off but these people seemed to respect Tsunade so much, it seemed like a bad idea.

"Hokage-sama will see you, Tsunade-hime." The guard told us as he appeared in the spot he had vacated.

"Thank you. Come on, Rei, Shizune." Tsunade encourage, steering me to walk slightly behind her and in front of Shizune. I noted the odd positioning but did not dwell on it because I was taking in the sights of the village as we walked towards a huge tower towards the center of town.

Konoha was huge and had so many people inside of it. Everywhere I looked there were people selling merchandise or food, people walking into or out of shops. We passed groups of people who were just talking with one another and even a playground that had a fair amount of children - nothing I have seen in this world reminded me of my old world as much as Konoha. I could not seem to shake this nagging sensation of familiarity, like when someone is barely touching you but it still bothers you for some reason. Thinking back on it, I have had the same feeling ever since I ran into Tsunade - maybe it was just her presence, that she reminded me of someone I was forgetting?

We turned a corner and I stumbled when I saw the mountain. A building had been hiding it before but there was no mistaking Hokage mountain - it was the moments that it hit me. I was never really a fan of Naruto, my brother was, but I enjoyed reading nonfiction books more than manga or watching TV. Of course my brother had forced me to watch Naruto but only the first batch of episodes. I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner, I was internally berating myself. Ninja? Tsunade? Konoha? Jutsu?

Tsunade put a comforting hand on my shoulder, seeing me pale and eye the mountain with trepidation. She probably thought I was nervous but in reality I was freaking out - how have I not realized this sooner? What the hell am I going to do? I attempted to calm myself down by thinking that this really did not change anything. I was still Rei, still hunted down because of my name, and I was still being led to see the Hokage right now to see if he would accept me into his village. Oh kami, I'm so screwed.

It didn't take long for us to reach the door to his office and Tsunade knocked once before entering, not bothering to wait for permission as she strode into the room.

"Tsunade-hime." Hiruzen greeted, his expression openly curious. "Have you decided to-"

"I'm not coming back." Tsunade interrupted, and fidgeted at the disappointed look on the Hokage's face. This, unfortunately, drew his attention and the man rose an eyebrow at Tsunade after pointedly looking at me.

"And who is this you have brought with you?"

"This is Rei Uzumaki." Tsunade said, stressing my surname.

"Really?" Hiruzen asked rhetorically, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Tsunade then explained exactly how we ran into each other, what I did in front of her, and how we travelled here. She also listed off a bunch of observations about me that I was gobsmacked to realize she had noticed - it really threw me for a loop. The woman was far more observant than I thought she would be.

"Interesting." Hiruzen commented, breathing out a cloud of smoke from his pipe. "Thank you, Tsunade. I would like to speak to the child alone."

Tsunade agreed and left, Shizune throwing me an encouraging look before following, and the door closed with a click. Hiruzen gestured for me to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk and I hesitantly did so. We sat in silence for a moment, with him analyzing me while I looked around his office interestedly. There were only three pictures on the wall so I know that he has not retired and made that other blonde guy Hokage yet, it gave me a better idea of when during 'the story' I was.

"Tell me, Rei-chan, why you would not admit to Tsunade what you did in self defense." Hiruzen prompted. It made me wiggle a little in my seat, the nerves getting to me and my mother's warning in my mind. Hiruzen obviously noticed and prompted me to speak the truth once more. "What you say will not leave this office unless I deem it important and I promise you are safe here as long as you are not an enemy."

"I-I was told not to tell anyone, Hokage-sama." I stuttered, feeling the powerful presence this man had.

"And who asked this of you?" Hiruzen asked

"My mother, Hokage-sama." I said, wondering if I could trust the man sitting in front of me. From what little I remember, he was a benevolent ruler but I was a stranger in his village. I was not one of his people, so would I be treated fairly?

"Do you know why?"

"Yes." I responded, taking a deep breath and deciding to roll the dice. It isn't like I have many options at this point; though I had survived the past year after my mother's death, it was just that - surviving. It was a full time job to steal enough food to survive and clothes to keep warm. I wouldn't make it much longer on my own. "Her name was Mei Yuki. She was from Kirigakure, our family was a clan with a Kekkei Genkei and were all exterminated by Kiri-nin. My mother, to the best of my knowledge, was the only survivor and even though she was not a shinobi, they still hunted us."

"How did she come to escape?" Hiruzen asked with a shrewd look on his face.

"My father, Hiroki Uzumaki, helped us escape the village but died to buy us enough time." I explained, my voice steady despite the tears falling from my eyes. Those were horrible times - the blood, the screams, my father never coming back. Mother and I running for days until we passed out from exhaustion only to continue after resting. "We hid for two years successfully but someone we thought was a friend informed on us to Hunter-nin from Kiri and my mother gave her life so I might escape. I ran for days until I found a village, where I stole clothing and food, and then hid inside a man's trade wagon before being found in the next town where he left me. That is where Tsunade-san found me."

It was quiet except for my sniffling as I tried to stop the tears from falling. I hated crying, it never changed the situation, but I had been strong and alone for so long. I just wanted a little bit of relief. Somewhere where I could not worry about where my next meal is going to come from while I was eating my current one.

"I see." Hiruzen said after a moment, sighing heavily and seeming to age a few years in front of my eyes. "I am sorry that these misfortunes have occurred to you, someone so young. Yet I find myself hesitant to grant you access to the village with how tense relations are with other villages. You could be a spy, a plant, any number of things."

"I understand, Hokage-sama." I said, lowering my head so he couldn't see the fresh water once again welling in my eyes. If I was lucky they would escort me to another village, maybe they would spare a little bit of food?

"You are too young to undergo a mindwalk, an ability one of the clans we have in the village utilize, but I will agree on the condition that you be kept under watch until further notice." My head jerked up at his words, my face hesitantly hopefully. He would really let me in his village, just like that? It seemed too good to be true. Hiruzen smiled at my expression, but quickly suppressed it and turned serious once more. "This is a serious risk I am taking on you and it is not something I do lightly, I hope you understand that. It is only for two reasons that I am allowing it. Can you guess what they are?"

I thought about what would make me special enough to make an exception for and my mind immediately zeroed in on my Kekkei Genkei. "My ice release ability?"

"That is the more obvious reason, yes." Hiruzen conceded, nodding his head at the same time.

I thought hard about the other reason and it took a couple of minutes for it to come to me; well, for a possible reason to come to mind. Tsunade said that she was related to an Uzumaki and that there was a Kushina Uzumaki that lived in Konoha… maybe that was the other reason?

"Is it because I am an Uzumaki?" I asked curiously and felt myself flush slightly when he smiled, nodding his head that I had deduced both reasons.

"Exactly. Konoha has long had an alliance with Uzushiogakure and Uzumaki was one of the most prevalent clans of that village. Currently there is one other Uzumaki in our village and I imagine she would be very glad to meet you." Hiruzen said benevolently "Would you like that, Rei-chan?"

I..I think so, Hokage-sama." I said finally, after thinking it over a moment. I had never met anyone related to me in this life aside from my parents and it would be nice to have that kind of bond with someone again, even if it took a long time to build a connection.

"Good!" Hiruzen said, clapping his hands together and blowing out another cloud of smoke. "Well, I will summon Kushina-san and inform her of your arrival. Can I assume you will be staying for a little while, Tsunade?"

"Only until the brat is settled." Tsunade said grudgingly, rolling her eyes when she noticed the pleased expression on her old sensei's face.

Tsunade led me to some woman who introduced herself as the Hokage's secretary and she had me filling out a lot of paperwork. Tsunade left me to go 'find some sake and a craps table in this dump' to put it in her words, only after assuring me she would find me later. Shizune gave me a quick hug on her way out as she followed after Tsunade, most likely going to attempt to keep her out of trouble - from my experience. Try was the operative word in that sentence. I smiled a little as I filled out the paperwork… something told me life in Konoha was going to be anything but boring.

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 **A/N: Chapter two! Any thoughts? Let me know :))**

 **Playlist: TBD**

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 **Much love,**

 **~Rache**


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